Instrumental music studies major Emily Gazeley recently was awarded the Texas Music Educators Association Collegiate Music Educator Award for an outstanding future teacher. Emily is currently student teaching. Congratulations go also to all of the faculty who worked with her during her studies here.

Carolyn Watson‘s article about the state of affairs for women on the podium was published earlier this week in Limelight Magazine, Australia’s national classical music publication. Now the article has gone global and ended up on the front page of Musical America.

Texas State Music faculty activities at the recent joint ATMI/CMS national conference in San Antonio:Nico Schüler presented “Wordless Functional Analysis Revisited”.Cynthia Gonzales gave a demo/workshop, “A Comprehensive Aural-Skills Curriculum via SmartMusic®”.Caroline Steiger performed Kevin Ernste’s Nisi for horn and live electronics. John Lopez gave a demonstration, “Establishing Effective Mariachi Rehearsal Techniques”. Texas State’s Mariachi Nueva Generacion, performed.Amanda Soto was presider/moderator for several sessions throughout the conference and presented as part of the panel, “Inside/Outside Music Education: Political Narratives Within and Through the Margins” with colleagues from Boston University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also serves on the CMS National Board as the Music Education Representative.

Thomas Clark traveled to northwestern Czech Republic to do composition research in the land of Smetana and Dvořák, following up on his 1990s study of Janácek’s music in the Moravian east of the country. A key part of this visit was to the Lidice Memorial Gardens and Art Gallery, where he presented his newest composition, Lidice Remembered, and explored the extensive archive documenting the 1942 atrocity there. Another visit explored Blaník Mountain, inspiration for the final part of Smetana’s monumental symphonic poem, Má vlast.

Dr. Martin McCain completed his first of three guest-artist residencies in Missouri. He performed a recital at Southwest Baptist University in addition to presenting a low brass clinic, jazz ensemble clinic, and entrepreneurship lecture for the department. McCain also presented a trombone masterclass at Missouri State University and worked with the MSU Trombone Choir.

Todd Oxford served as adjudicator for the 2017 ENKOR International Music Competition – Woodwinds and Brass, Düsseldorf, Germany. He also went on tour with Duo 35 performance at NACWPI National Conference in Alabama, solo performances at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Houston Baptist University, and Lamar University in Beaumont, and a masterclass for Friendswood ISD.

Michael Dean, clarinet, with Oxford

Oxford also spoke for a video tribute to recently deceased composer David Maslanka created by Professor Jerry Junkin and the University of Texas Wind Ensemble for broadcast online and at a live performance.